Welcome Spring 2023!

Ladies and gentlemen--Spring.

A Rock 'N' Roll Christmas, 1988 TV Special

 

Welcome to the first "real" article for my 2022 Countdown to Christmas! And today we have a rockin' good way to kick off the holidays. Today I present the 1988 TV special A Rock 'N' Roll Christmas!

This special aired during the holiday season of 1988 on the Fox network, and features clips of famous rock artists performing holiday hits, including John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, Little Richard, Eddie Money, Elton John, David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, and more. It's a who's who of mainstream rock artists up to that point! Dennis Miller, who was a big star on Saturday Night Live at the time, is the host.

If you love rockin' Christmas tunes, this is the show for you. You can watch below or directly on YouTube at this link. Enjoy!

Music for Troubled Times

Let's face it--life sucks right now. It feels like we're living in a disaster movie, and we can't change the channel. I hope everyone is heeding the advice of experts and authorities, taking care of themselves, and (virtually) connecting with their loved ones for support.

To aid us at this scary time, many musicians have been posting videos of intimate, impromptu performances from their own homes and studios. Here is just a small sample of them.

Norah Jones performing a cover of Guns 'N' Roses' "Patience."




Neil Diamond performs a "clean" version of "Sweet Caroline."




Brian Wilson plays "Love and Mercy" and "In My Room."




Paul Simon, "American Tune."




John Fogerty, "Have You Ever Seen The Rain," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Long As I Can See The Light."




Even "Weird Al" Yankovic joins in for a well-done performance of "Classical Gas."




I hope these performances give you at least a few minutes of peace in all this chaos. Stay safe, stay inside, and pray for the day when we can meet each other in person again.

God bless you.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Spring

Scrooge's Rock N' Roll Christmas

Today's Christmas find is just bizarre.

Today I present Scrooge's Rock N' Roll Christmas, a TV special that aired in 1984 by most accounts, but the copyright on the special is 1983. In this special, Ebeneezer Scrooge, played by Jack Elam, is visited in his counting house in 19th century England by a modern-day young woman who just so happens to have a magic snow globe. This globe allows her to show Scrooge 20th century rock acts performing famous Christmas songs. Acts include Three Dog Night, The Association, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Bobby Goldsboro, and others. His mean heart is warmed somewhat by the end of the special.

I can't find any indication as to what network showed this special; none of the sources I've come across mention it. What's also weird is that:

a) these acts were well past their prime by 1983/84

b) the performances are lackluster to say the least

c) the special had an accompanying album release about the same time

d) the special was available on VHS for a brief time in the early 90s

I can't honestly say this is a good special, but it's definitely interesting from a pop culture perspective. I don't think I'll watch it again anytime soon, but I'm glad I gave it a try just to see Jack Elam grunt after every song.

Enjoy!

Peter Tork, 1942--2019

It's always sad to note the passing of a musician/actor/artist you've admired all your life, and this is no different.

I've been a Monkees fan since I saw reruns of the series on UHF TV as a very young child, and my love for them was solidified when they reunited in 1986. I was fortunate to attend their tour date at Veterans Stadium here in Philadelphia, and my friends and I were inspired to dive deep into their albums that were reissued at that time. We were forever hooked. And it was clear to me even then that Peter Tork, despite being the quiet "dummy" of the band, was the most talented musician.

My respect for him grew as I matured, and I was blown away by his talent back in 2011 when I saw the band on tour again. I'm glad I got to see him again one more time. Now that he is gone, I will hold those memories even closer than before.

Here is a small sample of his best work, both as a singer and songwriter. Rest in peace, Peter.

Genesis Live on the Mike Douglas Show, Philadelphia, 1977

Following up on my Genesis article from a couple weeks ago, here is a neat treat--the band performing two songs from their Wind and Wuthering album on The Mike Douglas Show, which originated in my hometown of Philadelphia. This aired sometime in 1977 (the footage doesn't provide an exact date, unfortunately).

A favorite band of mine performing on a Philadelphia-based broadcast institution? How can I resist?

Plus, Phil Collins has an amazing beard here.

Enjoy!

List O' Links for Friday, July 29, 2016

This is the last weekend of July, so the summer of 2016 is getting grayer at the temples. Enjoy the summer sizzle with these links!

Did you know that back in 1963, before they hit worldwide acclaim, the Rolling Stones wrote and recorded a jingle for Rick Krispies to air in the UK? Now you do!

Here's a handy guide that tells you how often to clean parts of your house. No, I don't clean nearly this often either.

Techno Luddites lament! This month, the last company making VCRs is discontinuing production. Truly the end of an era. Now how will be play those old VHS copies of License to Drive?

1990s nostalgia is underrepresented at my blog, so here's a step in correcting that oversight. Here are ten 1990s cartoons you may not remember. See if they give your memory a jog!

Nintendo is making a mini version of their classic home video game system with 60 games built into the system. Want!

Finally, remember earlier when I said this summer's days are numbered? That means we're that much closer to Halloween (you will now see a Halloween countdown counter along the right side of the blog), an annual major celebration here at the blog. One man wishes to take Halloween celebration a step further. He wants Halloween to be declared a federal holiday.  Unfortunately for him, his petition didn't garner nearly the signatures necessary to be addressed by the government. Better luck next year!

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday, May 6, 2016

Hi everyone! I don't have much time, or links, today, so I'll make this short and sweet.

As you can see from the graphic above, this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day! I may not be able to make it this year because reasons, but you be sure to head on out to your local comic shop and pick up this year's crop of great free comics! And be sure to buy something while you're there and keep your comic shop afloat! Find the shop nearest you here!

According to the Washington Post, millenials are not eating cereal because they're too lazy to wash the dishes afterwards. If this is true, we will be easy pickins' for our forthcoming alien overlords.

A man named Billy Mitchell claims to be the "Neil Armstrong of Pac-Man" because he was the first person to win a perfect score. He also famously won a perfect score in Donkey Kong. To say the man is proud of his accomplishments is quite the understatement!

In 1978, Ringo Starr had his own TV variety special. It is, according to Ultimate Classic Rock, everything you'd expect from a late '70s TV variety special starring Ringo Starr. Check it out, if you have the stomach for it!

Finally, if you're a fan of horror movies, particularly Japanese horror, this is your lucky year. A movie is arriving this year that pits the girl from The Ring against the mom from The Grudge. It's like King King vs Godzilla or Freddy vs Jason, but with dead Japanese ladies!

Have a great weekend! Go get some free comics! And don't forget Mom this year! Happy Mother's Day! Exclamation points!

List O' Links for Friday, April 22nd, 2016

It's an unseasonably warm day in Philadelphia today, and I haven't posted any links in forever. Here are some to entertain and edify you. Yes, have some!

You can now invest in a collection of Credence Clearwater Revival songs in infant lullaby format. I listened to all the songs, and I highly recommend them if you work in an office. Very soothing!

Also in music news, Eddie Vedder has recorded a cover version of the Batman '66 theme song with his 7-year-old daughter Harper. It's very cute (and one to add to my Batman theme song collection)!

Keeping the music theme going, we might, if things go as planned, have an official soundtrack to the 1980s Transformers animated TV series in our future. Nothing like that awesome theme!

Jaws shoes. 'Nuff said!

Did you know there is a blog that features photos of current businesses that are housed in what used to be Pizza Hut locations? You do now.

Finally, the pop culture site Nerd Out With Me has graciously provided 51 geeky pics for all of us to enjoy. Fun stuff!

Thanks! Have a great weekend!

May's Underappreciated Music: The Coasters

This month's Underappreciated Music is a collection of songs from one of my favorite vocal groups of the '50s, the Coasters.

The Coasters' catalog is comprised mostly of novelty songs--you don't hear much in the way of love songs from the group--but they were a prominent part of the emerging R&B/rock 'n' roll scene of the decade. Unfortunately, you don't hear their music on mainstream radio anymore, now that traditional oldies music stations have morphed into "classic hits" stations that have abandoned the '50s completely.

Radio may have forgotten them, but I certainly haven't! Hear are some of their most enjoyable songs. Thanks!

List O' Links for Friday, January 11, 2013

The first list o' links of the year. I hope you think it's a good one!

“Oh, Yeaahh!” 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Kool-Aid

Superman and Friends Greet Fans in Hilarious Greeting Cars from 1978

This is a great site for those with an interest in forgotten or obscure rock from the late 60s and early 70s, The Rising Storm. It gives reviews of albums that fit in that category and lets you know of upcoming reissues. They also have video and a podcast. Highly recommended!

In the spirit of my article on Jaws movie posters, here is a list of 12 completely awesome movie posters featuring sharks

Finally, here's a deep question to begin your weekend: does quantum physics make it easier to believe in God?

Have a great weekend!

Classic Rock that Really Rocks!

If you like that rock'n'roll stuff the kids are always listening to, like I do, you will be amazed by this.

Have you heard the classic rock song "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas before? Of course you have. Have you heard it played solo by a grade-school age Japanese girl on an electric synthesizer before? Not like this. You go, girl!